Real Brownfields Deserve Dollars I
read with interest the story on Brownfield development dollars in the
July 20 issue. I applaud Dan Lathrop and other county commissioners who
voted “No” on the Randolph Street project...

Hopping Mad Carlin
Smith is hopping mad (“Will You Get Mad With Me?” 7-20-15). Somebody
filed a fraudulent return using his identity, and he’s not alone. The AP
estimates the government “pays more than $5 billion annually in
fraudulent tax refunds.” Well, many of us have been
hopping mad for years. This is because the number one tool Congress has
used to fix this problem has been to cut the IRS budget –by $1.2 billion
in the last 5 years...

Just Grumbling, No Solutions Mark
Pontoni’s grumblings [recent Northern Express column] tell us much
about him and virtually nothing about those he chooses to denigrate. We
do learn that Pontoni may be the perfect political candidate. He’s
arrogant, opinionated and obviously dimwitted...

A Racist Symbol I
have to respond to Gordon Lee Dean’s letter claiming that the
confederate battle flag is just a symbol of southern heritage and should
not be banned from state displays. The heritage it represents was the
treasonous effort to continue slavery by seceding from a democratic
nation unwilling to maintain such a consummate evil...

Not So Thanks I
would like to thank the individual who ran into and knocked over my
Triumph motorcycle while it was parked at Lowe’s in TC on Friday the
24th. The $3,000 worth of damage was greatly appreciated. The big dent
in the gas tank under the completely destroyed chrome badge was an
especially nice touch...

Letters 6/20/22

My husband and I taught and traveled in Europe for eight years. AHungarian professor once told us that his countrymen willingly taxthemselves for cradle to grave education and health care. And teachersare highly valued throughout Europe.Campaigning Michigan politicians espouse the importance of qualityeducation, then are quick to criticize educators and even quicker to cutfunds. The demonizing of teachers has been spread by a right wing agendasupported by the Mackinaw Center, the Republican Tea Party faction, andthe American Legislative Council throughout the state and nation.This attack might be why some students even of elementary age show littlerespect for their teachers and misbehave in class. How can increasingclass size help teachers handle the problems that arrive on theirdoorstep? How much is society to blame?Yes, ineffective teachers exist, but ineffective individuals are in everywalk of life. How have public schools suddenly become so terrible?Misuse of test scores? Lack of parental support? Societal problems?Charter schools? Proposal A? Michigans fine public schools consistentlyhad attracted families to locate here. The quality of education hasntchanged in most areas. Perception has. Stop the attacks!

Donna Dodd  TC

Oil shortage deceptionWe do not have an oil shortage nor does trouble in the Middle East havemuch of a bearing on supply and demand. From a consumption standpoint, alittle over 10% comes from the Persian Gulf to us. Most of the 40% of ourimported oil comes from places around the globe where politics and strifehave little bearing.Further, remember it is the benefit to the importer that is what cementsthe contract. Those countries who export oil want to export it regardlessof what political issues are at hand. We are paying up to $4.25 a gallonfor gas because:1) We are significantly short of oil refineries; there have only beenseveral new refineries built in the U.S. since 1976.2) Oil is traded regularly on the commodities exchanges; you know, whereinvestors buy low and sell high. It is very simple to see why the priceof crude oil from which gas is made is going up; check the market price ofcrude. And that folks has absolutely nothing to do with supply and demand.3) Gasoline, diesel fuel and heating oil is as critical a public utilityas any. We long ago made public utilities insure supply and at anaffordable price.Republicans refer to insuring our oil supply in the dramatic terms ofnationalizing the oil industry, as if it is a communistic concept. It isnot; it is providing one of the most important commodities to ourlivelihood and well being. Oil is the sole reason we have gone to wars,lost American lives and crumbled our economy for years now. It is thenational interest being defended.It is not in our national interest that we put our military in harms wayso Exxon and Shell continue to have profits greater than even the largestcorporation‘s gross sales. It is perhaps the greatest fleecing of Americathat has ever taken place. And the consumer is being duped by Big Oilshypnosis.

David Lerch  Charlevoix

Learn from othersAre we too big to learn from others?We can bring about fundamental change in our health care system byborrowing ideas from foreign models. Unfortunately, many Americansintensely dislike the idea that we may learn useful policy ideas fromother countries, particularly in medicine. The biggest objection is thatforeign health care is socialized medicine.The contention is that the United States, with its commitment to freemarkets and low taxes, could never rely on big-government socialism theway other countries do. Americans have learned in school that the privatesector can handle things better and more efficiently than government evercould. In U.S. policy debates, the term socialized medicine has been apowerful weapon. This phase has prevented universal access to health carefor six decades.There are two basic flaws in this argument.Most national health care systems are not socialized. Many foreigncountries provide universal health care of high quality (no waiting lines)at reasonable cost using private doctors, private hospitals, and privateinsurance plans. Some countries offering universal coverage have a smallergovernment role than the U.S. does.Americans switch to government-run Medicare when they turn 65; yet inGermany and Switzerland, seniors stick with their private insurers nomatter how old they are.Socialized medicine may be a scary term, but in practice, Americansrather like government-run medicine. The U.S. Department of VeteransAffairs is one of the worlds purest models of socialized medicine atwork. In the Medicare system, covering 44 million elderly or disabledAmericans, the federal government makes the rules and pays the bills. Andyet both of these socialized health care systems are enormously popularwith the people who use them and consistently rate high in surveys ofpatient satisfaction.

Ronald Marshall  Petoskey

Trail mix-upWhile I really appreciate the Northern Express, the Random Thoughtsarticle (Northern Michigans Top Adventures) contained an error that Ijust had to write.The trail mentioned as the Manistee River Trail is actually a section ofthe North Country Trail. The Manistee River Trail is a trail downriverfrom Hodenpyl Dam that along with another section of the North CountryTrail (that runs parallel on the other side of the Manistee) creates anice loop of roughly 20 miles.

Producer Roger Ailes knows exactly who is watching Fox News each day, andhe is adept at playing to their darkest fears in the age of Obama. Thenetworks viewers are old, with a median age of 65; Ads cater to theimmobile, the infirm and the incontinent, with appeals to joinclass-action hip-replacement lawsuits, spots for products like Colon Flowand testimonials for the services of Liberator Medical (Liberator gave meback the freedom I havent had since I started using cathetors.) Theaudience is almost exclusively white -- only 1.38% of viewers areAfrican-American......The result of (Fox News) concerted campaign of disinformation is aviewership that knows almost nothing about whats going on in the world. According to recent polls, Fox News viewers are the most misinformed ofall news consumers. They are 12 percentage points more likely to believethe stimulus package caused job losses, 17 points more likely to believeMuslims want to establish Shariah law in America, 30 points more likely tosay that scientists dispute global warming, and 31 points more likely todoubt President Obamas citizenship. In fact, a study by the Universityof Maryland reveals ignorance of Fox viewers actually increases the longerthey watch the network. Thats because Ailes isnt interested inproviding people with information, or even a balanced range ofperspectives.